The story of a girl who ended up in a Japanese wartime brothel
Every Wednesday at noon, a group of old women come to protest at the Japanese embassy in Seoul and demand an apology from the Japanese government. They come in a downpour, in biting cold and in a humid mugginess. They are the last of an army of "comfort women" - women who were raped and tortured as sex slaves by the Japanese army during World War II.
The author decided to bear witness to their fate - and he used an appealing story about a young girl, a precious crest and a legacy of imperial blood. In it, the reader learns much about the lives of "comfort women" and the conflict that led to the division of Korea decades ago - yet the novel remains above all a story of love, courage and hope.
